December 2012
Volume 1, Issue 3
SHELLS Featured Article: With My Sisters I Am Best By: Belinda Baker I believe that we, the sisters of the Southeast District of Tau Beta Sigma, provide spectacular service to our college bands but also to the surrounding community. I believe we have continued Wava’s dream and have built upon it.
least by any means, from your own hard work. I believe in “a truthfulness and honesty [that] instills a sense of trust in others.” I believe if you maintain “a cheerfulness at all times and under all circumstances, even in the face of great trial” you will survive, and not only survive, you will thrive. During the 66 years of Tau Beta Sigma, And when I do thrive, I posses “fortitude the Southeast District has had 56 and courage to see an ideal, to seize upon chapters. With 39 of those chapters it, and follow it wherever it may lead [me] maintaining active status currently, we in Tau Beta Sigma.” (And in life.) can proudly declare we are one of the largest districts in the nation. The These ideals, these goals, and these factorsSoutheast District includes diversity they build me up. Over my (almost) 3 ranging from small private colleges to years of membership in this organization, I some of the most recognized have grown insurmountably. If you cannot universities in the nation. We have picture me any other way, trust me, it is brought sisters into our ranks from only because I have worked with resilience every single ethnically diverse to grow into the person I am today. Through the background in the world, which is truly Auburn University creed and the ideals and a magnificent celebration. Our sisters factor of Tau Beta Sigma, I have grown into a host and attend large events such as woman who I am proud of, who my family is Honda Battle of the Bands and Step for proud of, and who, I think, Wava was proud of. Life, annually, to encourage every I certainly am very proud and honored to have sister from any location to participate known her. Thank you, Wava. For I would not and showcase his/her talents. With be where I am today, without you and without community outreach projects like this cherished sisterhood. March for Music, the Southeast District and our sisterhood is placing Tau Beta Our esteemed founder, Wava Banes Turner Sigma on a national map full of service Henry, passed away from this Earth on October organizations who sponsor and host 16, 2012. In her long life, she was a loving community oriented charity events. daughter and mother to her immediate family; but she also was a daughter, mother, and sister However, without the past, we cannot of Tau Beta Sigma. Wava stood strong for see into our future. We arrived here women all over the nation, so that we now can from the perseverance of women like serve our collegiate bands alongside men. She Wava and all the other founding was a beautiful, spunky, and humbling woman, mothers, from our past and current who continues to inspire women and men of all national and district leadership, and not ages to better their lives through music.
Southeast District of Tau Beta Sigma
Spring Dates: DLC @ S.C. State February 16th March for Music March 9th SED Convention @ FSU April 5th-7th PAPERWORK PAPERWORK
Inside this issue: President
2
VPM
3
VPSP
4-5
Secretary
5
Treasurer
6
Historian
7
Contact Information
7
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SHELLS
President: Stepping Out of Past Officer’s Shadows In the Southeast District we are all blessed because so many wonderful leaders come from this district. While this is a blessing it can also be a curse. Many time we can feel as though the person who came before us, it is someone who can never be “outdone” or “forgotten.” Here are some thoughts about what you can do to help you “step out” from their shadow. 1. Realize what they contributed. – As with any great leader of our time so many are remembered because of the things that they did, Martin Luther King made a stand for African Americans, Abraham Lincoln emancipated slavery. Most of the time the reason we think of someone as an outstanding leader is due to an accomplishment that they did or a program they started. Find out what did the person who you are following did and see if there is something they did that made them highly remembered. Or, take a program they did and see if you can improve it to make a greater difference in the situation. 2. Be a positive outlook- More often than not people choose to remember the people that made a difference in them or someone they can correlate a positive experience with. Think about your big sister, they will always be someone that you look up to or tell others “My big is better than your big.” This is because they made a difference in YOUR life. Some times all we need is one person for us to truly have made a difference.
3. Look forward It would be radical for any one person to think that you have to be just as successful as the people who came before you. There have been some true visionaries of our lifetime but there are always going to be things that set people apart and we are not always the people who do them. That is ok, the true test of a leader is what they do in face of trial. As long as you have a vision for whatever it is you are doing then you are working in the right path. You have the ability to make things better, you just need to believe in yourself and people will follow. Many times our Presidents of the United States are faced with great conflicts and he must act. It is not his job to consult past help; it is his job to serve. Such is yours within your chapter or in life. These are just a few ways that may help you look past the great people who came before you. To conclude I leave you with the following, because with this you can NEVER be an unforgotten leader in Tau Beta Sigma. “Fortitude and Courage to see and ideal, to seize upon it, and to follow it wherever it may lead you in Tau Beta Sigma.” MLITB, Lee Commander Florida State University, Alpha Omega SED President 2012-2013
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Volume 1, Issue 3
Vice President of Membership: Continuing Education Hey SED! I hope your marching seasons are coming to a wonderful close. I can’t believe it’s my last one! Hopefully I have some sympathy from the other seniors out there. Anyway, I’m really looking forward to seeing you all in the spring at Honda Battle of the Bands, DLC, and SED Convention! I’ve spent this whole semester bragging about you guys to our chapter’s candidates, and it is definitely well deserved. Hopefully you all have been encouraging your sisters (especially the younger ones) to come to district events too. I’m a firm believer in their potential to grow us into some amazing leaders, connect us to wonderful people, and help us see the bigger picture of our Sisterhood. I would like to touch on a subject that I feel is often under-represented in our chapters: Continuing Membership Education (or Post-Membership Education). First of all, WHAT IS CME? Well, I would define it as any sort of information you provide to your chapter on any topics relevant to Tau Beta Sigma, and/or any discussions about those topics in a formalized setting with your chapter. Secondly, HOW DO I IMPLEMENT CME? If your chapter hasn’t had any CME activities before, I would start with the National Guide to Membership Education. Page 12 has 3 awesome seminars about the Ritual, the Constitution, and being a good Sister that are meant to immediately follow initiation. Like it says, they are meant to be participatory and engaging, not lectures. Have your Membership Committee plan and execute these sessions, thinking creatively about ways to involve the members in the lessons and not just talk at them. After these sessions, you can all start thinking of more things you think your chapter needs to know about! One suggestion I gave to a chapter VPM recently is to have the chapter divide into groups based on which pillar of our Sorority means the most to them (Sisterhood, Service, Music). Then, each group can discuss within itself why it values the pillar that it
does. I encourage that kind of thinking because one person cannot embody all 3 pillars perfectly, but together as a chapter, we can give each pillar proper attention (the illustration of a stool or table with one leg shorter than the other comes to mind when I think of a chapter that does not value each pillar equally – it’s just not balanced or effective!). Knowing which pillar you care about most can also help guide you as an individual in finding an area in which to be more proactive in your chapter. Continuing Membership Education is a CRUCIAL part in any chapter. It helps ensure the retention of members, reminding them that they joined a special organization devoted to unique ideals and a unique institution: the band. Hopefully you’ll find CME to be a rewarding part of your chapter meetings, where people can appreciate the unique identity we have as Tau Beta Sigma. Through it, we can remember the passion for TBS that brought us through our membership process, seize upon it, and follow it wherever it may lead us in Tau Beta Sigma. MLITB, Kevin Brenner Vanderbilt University, Eta Phi SED Vice President of Membership
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Vice President of Special Projects: Fall Update Hello again sisters of the Southeast District, I hope your semester is concluding in a successful manner. (My fingers are crossed for your grades as well as my own!) As we close out the semester though, we need to make time for reflection- in our personal lives, as well as our Tau Beta Sigma ones. So to conclude this semester, what could be better than a Tau Beta Sigma round up and review? The Concerto Competition- The first year of our concerto competition, I have considered successful, and it’s not even over yet! We received applications from, and will soon receive audition videos from, SEVEN participants. Although this number is single-digits, this is extraordinary progress from the applications we were receiving from the Young Composers Contest. You, the district, voted to discontinue the YCC for the time being and to look into a concerto contest…. Well, GREAT JOB- you have successfully found a program that supports music on the district level, in the form of a competition. I invite you all to stay tuned for the next issue of SHELLS, in the spring, where the winner will be announced. Also, the winner will be performing at the opening concert of SED Convention held, this year, at Florida State University on April 5-7, 2013. Service in Music Month- This year’s SiMM was a tad bit last minute. This situation was my fault entirely, as I did not give chapter’s enough time to prepare for the giant task that this month is (sorry). However, I still did receive documented Service, on time from one chapter (Shout out to IOTA LAMBDA at UNC CHAPEL HILL!) and a couple days later from several others. But, I know that more than just these chapters completed different arrays of service during the month of October. So, before the end of the semester, email me what your chapter did, even if you did not participate every week!! The SiMM log can be found on our newest resource websiteissuu.com/tbssed. The due date for the last minute
SiMM logs is January 4, 2013! The chapters who participate will still be recognized at SED Convention in April 2013. Stay with me, only 2 more projects left!!!! (This semester has been a busy one.) The Eighth Note, Fall Edition- If you live under a rock, do not get emails, and/or do not hang out on Facebook instead of studying, like me…. You may not have seen the release of the Fall Edition of the Eighth Note. Well, let me tell you, the Iota Rho chapter at Spelman College did a spectacular job with it! You can view it here on the Spelman ISSUU page- issuu.com/spelmantbs or on the SED ISSUU page—issuu.com/tbssed. Please read it, and keep up on all the recent and happening news in the Southeast District, both TBS and KKY. You will also find National TBS and KKY news. Not to mention, reminders about #operation100% and March for Music. Which reminds me…. March for Music- The efforts of the March for Music team to advertise across the Southeast region have been successful so far, but we are not done. Many of our own SED Chapters, both KKY and TBS have expressed interest to me, but have not registered! As we conclude the fall semester, and enter the spring, NOW IS THE TIME! The deadline for registration for individuals, as well as teams, without a late fee, is February 1, 2013. To register visit our website at tbsmarchformusic.webstarts.com. Each and every individual participant must complete the Individual Registration form and payment process. If you intend to march with a team, then your “team leader” must register your team (and we must receive payment) BEFORE you can also join a team. I am very happy with the progress my team and I have made so far on the project, but these schools need our help as well as yours! This project and event cannot succeed without you, without KKY, and without the Southeast District’s support.
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VPSP Continued Why? Because every single dollar earned through registration and contributions is being donated directly to the 3 selected sponsored music programs. Help us to help them, help Tau Beta Sigma help the George Washington Middle School Band in Montgomery, AL (whose director is a recently graduated sister from Auburn University!!!). Help Tau Beta Sigma to help the Murphy Middle and High School Bands in Murphy, North Carolina. Help Tau Beta Sigma to help Flat Rock Middle Orchestra in Tyrone, GA. These schools need our help! So, go, go, go, to the website and register, raise money to donate, support this program, for it directly coincides with the goals of Tau Beta Sigma and what we, as sisters and as musicians, stand for. Thank you so much for an amazing semester of service; let’s continue our work forward into the next semester AND BEYOND! MLITB Belinda Baker Auburn University, Theta Lambda SED Vice President of Special Projects, 2012-2013 2013 March for Music, Head Coordinator
Volume 1, Issue 3
Secretary: Online Reporting Hey there my lovely Sisters! As you probably know there is a new system for reporting! (www.online.kkytbs.org) Here are some quick points on the new system! Also, I am collecting Sisters’ opinions to compile a report to send to Jonathan Markowski, so please send me an email with your thoughts. 1) Get your paperwork in early! While it is easy now for your Sponsor and DOB to log on and approve the paperwork it may take them longer to do find the time to do such. Don’t submit your paperwork for approval the day it is due. Start early, communicate with your Sponsor and DOB that is ready for approval and you should have less issues. 2) Once I submit for approval do I need to do anything else? Theoretically? No. However, I highly encourage you to e-mail, stop by, and/or call your Sponsor and Director of Bands to let them know you have submitted the paperwork and that it needs their approval before it will be submitted to HQ. Once they approve it you are good to go. 3) Have questions? Ask. Even if you don’t know the right question to ask or how to word it don’t be afraid. The system is new to everyone and there are many people with questions. So if you have one be sure to ask us, your District Council. We are here to serve YOU. Don’t forget to send in your comments (good or bad) about the new system so I can compile them! MLITB Rebecca Snead University of Florida, Beta Xi SED Secretary, 2012-2013
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Treasurer’s Chest Dear Sisters of the SED, As the year ends, and the holidays are upon us, chapters begin to wind down, and focus on the much needed time with our friends and family. This is a great time for officers to sit down, and analyze the goals they had in place since the beginning of school. For chapter treasurers, new and continuing (since I know some chapters hold election with the calendar year, instead of the academic year), I would love to give you some helpful tips I discovered while being chapter treasurer. If you are continuing on to be treasurer after the holidays, I encourage you to look to the past, and remember what you planned for yourself. Did you compete those tasks? Try to think of what worked well with you, and how you can build upon that to continue on with yourself or your successor. If you are new to the position in the coming New Year, I encourage you to look back to your predecessor(s), and remember what you liked, and what you would like to improve upon. Treasurers are very important because we bring in the money. However, we also need to make sure that money is used wisely, and not just piling up. A great task I suggest doing this time of year would be to sit down with your president or executive board, and look over the budgets of each office. In addition, I also suggest looking at how much fundraising you did, how much money went to service, and how much money went to you music department. Treasury and service go hand-in-hand. Ultimately, we are here to serve the bands, and in this day and age, it is difficult to do so without funding. However, try to look back and ask yourself, “Did we use our funds to the maximum this year?” It is
always a great idea to partner with the sister in your chapter in charge of service, and see what she or he needs in order to coordinate serving the band. Were they able to do everything they needed to? The most exciting part (and perhaps most stressful) of being treasurer, was discovering how everyone needs you. You get to develop great relationships by partnering with others, and finding out what they need in order to succeed. As treasurers, we help every other office complete their goals. So, that is why it may be a great idea to sit down, and go over the books. See who budgeted for what. Did they do everything? If not, find out why: was it a timing issue, was it a funds issue, etc… This all can lead to more efficient budgeting, which means more money in the bank. In turn, this can help the chapter when they want to surprise their music department with a sporadic donation, or a larger reception at the last concert of the season. As always, I am here to serve you all, and I have been in your shoes as well. It is an experience to say the least, but don’t ever think it is overwhelming. If any treasurer of chapter needs help with treasury, do not hesitate to ask me anything, anytime. MLITB Salvatore Parillo University of Central Florida, Zeta Psi SED Treasurer, 2012-2013
Volume 1, Issue 3
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Historian: SED Scrapbook Hello SED! The fall semester is coming to a close and we want to see what you’ve been up to the past couple of months! Did you cross new members, participate in service events or plan fun social activities? However you spent your semester, we want to see it. Have your chapter historian send photos to sedhistorian@tbsigma.org. Please include your chapter and captions for the photos. These pictures will get added to the District Scrapbook and may even end up on the website so make sure they’re appropriate. Can’t wait to see all the fun you’ve been having! MLITB, Lindsay Meyers University of Central Florida, Zeta Psi SED Historian, 2012-2013
http://www.kkytbs.org/ sed/tbs/index.html
E-Mail Addresses President: sedpres@tbsigma.org VP of Membership: sedvpcm@tbsigma.org VP of Special Projects: sedvpsp@tbsigma.org Secretary: sedsecretary@tbsigma.org Treasurer: sedtreasurer@tbsigma.org Parliamentarian: stephenrichards@tbsigma.org Historian: sedhistorian@tbsigma.org Counselors: sedcoun@tbsigma.org
Tau Beta Sigma SED Strength. Excellence. Diversity.
2012-2013 Southeast District Council President: Lee Commander, Alpha Omega Vice President of Membership: Kevin Brenner, Eta Phi Vice President of Special Projects: Belinda Baker, Theta Lambda Secretary: Rebecca Snead, Beta Xi Treasurer: Salvatore Parillo, Zeta Psi Parliamentarian: Stephen Richards, Epsilon Theta Historian: Lindsay Meyers, Zeta Psi